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Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2009 > March > 10 > Entry
Martin Gottlieb: Limbaugh playing badly; it doesn’t matter
I’m not sure anybody needs any more input from anybody about Rush Limbaugh and Obama and all that. But here’s the best you’re going to get:
1) Before Limbaugh ever said he hopes the president fails, and before Obama ever mentioned Limbaugh, I was thinking that the Limbaughs of the world were the biggest threat to the hopes for an era of bipartisanship. They make their money and their place in the world off polarization. If everybody’s just getting along — if fear and hatred subside — they are marginalized. They must exaggerate the conservative case against Obama to preposterous degrees. It’s what they do.
The result is more hatred than makes any sense. I was glad the president mentioned him to Republicans as a problem.
2) When Limbaugh said he hopes Obama fails, I thought this was just another flap for the political warriors to spit at each other about. I was wrong. This one grabs the interest of regular people. I’ve had it mentioned to me outside my political circles.
3) Rush is not playing well.
4) But I doubt that it matters much, politically speaking. That is, I don’t see this as a sign of the shrinkage of the Republicans down to a narrower, harder core. What matters now — for both parties — is whether the economy recovers next year. All the spitting and spinning might as well be put on hold, for all the difference it makes.
4) Still, the effort of the Democrats to paint Limbaugh as the face of the Republican Party is fair enough for politics. Look at the Republicans that criticize L: One congressman said that it’s easier for Limbaugh to spout off than for Republican officials to handle their problems. That’s not even criticism. Yet the congressman had to take it back. Then the party chairman said Limbaugh is about entertainment and that, yes, his show sometimes gets ugly. That’s hardly criticism. Yet he, too, had to grovel. The Republicans can’t insist that L is a just sideshow and treat him as if he’s the boss.
5) When Limbaugh says he hopes Obama fails, he means it in exactly the way it sounds. He has never denied that. His apologists spin his statement it to make him look not so bad, but he doesn’t spin it.
6) All that being said, I no longer see the Limbaugh types as the great threat to a new era of bipartisanship. The real threat is now the economy and the fact that Obama has decided that he must respond as an activist, whether he gets Republicans on board or not. In this context, activism really comes down to liberalism. I think that when Obama started talking about bipartisanship in 2004 and continued in his campaign in 2007 and 2008, he was sincere. He didn’t see any reason that Rs and Ds couldn’t find more common ground on the issues of those years. But the times changed suddenly, killing the dream.
Permalink | Comments (9) | Post your comment | Categories: Columns, Martin Gottlieb, National Politics
Comments
By Philman
March 11, 2009 7:46 AM | Link to this
I guess you haven’t read the poll from the Bush days when 51% of Democrats hoped he would fail, nice try JERK…By Rob
March 11, 2009 1:50 PM | Link to this
Here’s what Rush and Heritage didn’t give you in your talking point, Philman. The source of the poll? Fox News, fer cryin’ out loud! But let’s assume their poll wasn’t fixed. Even in a straight up analysis, here is what that poll’s disclaimer from 2006 says: <> In other words - “we may have worded the questions in such a manner as to induce an error or a bias.” Lookit - Rush said what he said. You can’t tell me though from a survey data point what was asked, can you? Like you said - Nice tryBy George
March 11, 2009 2:11 PM | Link to this
Nice spin Gottlieb. Obama isn’t responding like an activist- He IS an activist, and a leftist, radical one at that. His anti- capitalist, Robin Hood vision of America is at direct odds with common sense conservative policies that have given Americans the highest standard of living in the world. Our economic crisis is 90% his-and he knows it. In fact, he appears to genuinely relish our current economic crisis. Referring to his ambitions plans to change the face of the nation to reflect his liberal ideals, he and his cabinet have said more than once, “a crisis is a terrible thing to waste”. Sadly, the Democrats desire (and so far, success) in pushing their frighteningly liberal spending and unprecedented government growth policies are far more important to them than actually trying to improve our economy.By CU
March 11, 2009 3:12 PM | Link to this
Martin, I guess you wrote this before news came out today that on 9/11 James Carville told reporters he hopes Bush does not succeed, then asked the reporters to retract the statement. Wow, what irony. And, you misquoted Rush as all of Obama’s lap dogs have. What Rush said is that if socialism is Obama’s agenda he hopes he fails, that he wants the country to succeed, not socialism. You are so transparent it is entertaining.By Pete
March 11, 2009 3:24 PM | Link to this
Well said, Phil. Liberals spin things to try & make themselves look good. The funny thing is, they’re not very good @ it.By joe_mamma
March 12, 2009 7:51 AM | Link to this
Give me a break about the bipartisanship. Nothing in Obama’s past suggests he’s centrist. He is a socialist. If you hope he succeeds in making the US a socialist country well then good for you, but don’t expect me to hope he succeeds. And I want him to fail at that as well.By Jim Cooper
March 12, 2009 2:01 PM | Link to this
And this why this rag isn’t worth the price of a match to burn it. What a bunch of tripe.By O=No Executive Experience
March 12, 2009 8:29 PM | Link to this
First, it was hope change hope change blah blah Now, it’s Tax Spend Tax Spend Tax Spend Socialism is coming… The time to fight back is now. Watch for a Tea Party protest near you in the weeks to come.By Tea Partygirl
March 13, 2009 6:39 PM | Link to this
Tea Part Sunday March 15th at 3:00p. Fountain Square, CIncinnati. Over 5,000 have confirmed attendance. I will be there with my sign that reads “We don’t want no stinking Socialism”!